Definitely getting excited here. Even if just for a glimpse of James in the first ep, knowing whats to come is so cool. I'm glad he is having a blast with this. When is the next episode that he will be in...is it episode 3 or 5 where we really get to know him?

The best time to watch Smallville is during Season Premieres and Season Finales. They always have amazing season openers and enders. It's the stuff in the middle that well, on occassion, suck. The fourth season finale was truly thrilling. Smallville has been getting better, especially with the addition of Erica Durance as Lois Lane. It can only get better with James Marsters.

It was good to hear that characteristic threating tone of James voice, he used it so well in BtVS and AtS. Still, I have no urge to watch Smallville, it just never struck my fancy. Must say though, James should be a most interesting character on the show.

As of Saturday AM US time, the link wasn't working, WB must've turned it off or something. IMHO, SMALLVILLE is good when it focuses on creating the new mythology....when it focuses on the "wall of weird" or whatever you like to refer to the various kryptonite-affected people...not so much.

I've only ever watched Smallville sporadically - mostly when it was on before Angel, but I just never really got into it. The trailer and bits I've heard about the season are making me more interested in checking it out more regularly, though.

I just watched the trailer, but I saw no James. I did see a longer promo during the repeat of the season 4 finale on Wednesday (which was actually really good), and I saw a quick peek of James. If James is there, I'm there!

Smallville's a weird show. I always have a number of complaints (more this last season than the two previous,) yet I never really want to give up on it. It's my guilty pleasure escapist hour. I'm sure this coming premiere will be terrific, but most Smallville premieres are great.

I tend to get the impression however, that a premiere is written, the writers are given a destination (ie. how the different threads will end) and then they kind of stumble along. If you watched just last seasons premeire and finale, you would think that Lex would have gone through a slow turn from good to evil... that Jason Tegue had been secretly plotting behind everyone's back, that the 3 stones were an item of great power... that Chloe's discovery of Clark's secret has been at the forefront.

In reality, Lex pinballed from a good friend to a villain, to a manipulative man, to someone fighting his true nature, to a villain, back to a friend, then bad again. Jason Tegue had one on one conversations with his mother in a car, unheard by anyone in which he claims ignorance of what's going on, but we later learn that he has been in on it for a long time. The three stones end up being used for some standalone shows, but prooves to be little more than a major McGuffin which allowed for some manipulative storytelling. Even Chloe's discovery of Clark's secret made for little more than one above-average episode which manages to push the reset button as soon as it reached it's completion.

In fact, going through the episode list for season 4... there were a total 10 episodes which relied on some form of gimmick. Body switching (Transference, Spirit), Memory whipes (Blank) evil doubles (Onyx) Personality modifiers (Crusade, Devoted, Unsafe) or possession (Spell, Sacred, Commencement). Oddly enough, they prooved to be among the best episodes, giving the actors some material to have some fun with.

I complain, but I will buy the DVD set, and probably will rewatch it. Why? Well... Chloe and Lois are good eye candy, the show is beautifully shot, and as much as the writing could use a bit of help, I still enjoy the character interplay more than most shows of the type, even if they need to change the dynamic.